FARMINGTON — It’s part-time work over split shifts, but driving a bus for Davis School District is not likely to be dull.

Twenty of 250 positions are open for drivers and substitute drivers needed to run the district’s 210-bus fleet, according to Brian Larsen, director of transportation for the district.

Besides drivers, 70 bus assistants are needed to help the thousand or so special needs children as they ride to and from school each day.

The job works well for retirees or women whose kids have grown, who might be looking for a little extra income, said Larsen.

The transportation director said he began working as a driver when in college and found the hours worked perfectly with his schedule.

Some drivers, he said, have been with the district for 30 or 40 years.

Shifts run from about 7 to 9 a.m. and again from 2 to 4 p.m.

Drivers are guaranteed 4.5 hours a day for those runs and assistants are guaranteed four hours.

While drivers can opt to take kids on field trips to increase their hours, they can’t exceed 29 hours a week or they become eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act, he said.

The district provides two weeks of training free to help those they hire obtain a commercial driver’s license.

Besides the skills necessary to drive a bus, drivers must be able to work with children and teens. The first swing through neighborhoods is for high school students, then junior high students and finally, elementary students.

“You have to be able to be patient and to be able to interact with the children and make sure they behave,” said Larsen.

“We’re the first people the kids see going to school and the last people they see going home,” he said. “A lot of our special needs bus assistants will read to the kids and play games. For other students, drivers just need to make sure the kids are on track.

He hopes drivers will be involved, learn the kids’ names and fix problems they might have if riders are misbehaving.

District leaders have said all district employees, even those driving buses or serving lunch, are educators supporting the district’s “Learning First” motto.

At least eight hours of state-mandated training is required a year for drivers, including a program that delves into anti-bullying.

“They learn what to watch for, how to intervene and how to report it,” said Larsen.

Beginning salary is $13.46 an hour, with steps and lanes increases kicking in as early as the second year.

For more information on the position, call 801-402-7500.

Signs have also been posted at Davis County schools about openings for substitute cooks.

Any interested in working in the school cafeterias can call Annette Richter at 801-402-7646.